Written by: Phil Hester
Arted by: David MarquezArchaia and Roddenberry Productions are proud to present the thrilling sequel to the critically acclaimed series DAYS MISSING. DAYS MISSING: KESTUS continues the saga of The Steward, a mysterious being whose ability to “fold” days of time has resulted in critical human events being absent from our historical record. Their existence is not remembered…but the occurrences of these days have forever changed the course of our evolution.
Since humanity’s birth, The Steward has stood as a guiding force for our species. But now, he is not alone! The emergence of the ancient being, Kestus, may put everything he knows in question, and the future of those he means to protect in jeopardy.
Archaia’s first volume of Days Missing was one of my favorite mini-series of 2009, and now the second volume is starting up today with the creative team of writer Phil Hester and artist David Marquez. Needless to say, I’m excited, but does the first issue of this new series merit my excitement?
Find out after the jump.
With the previous volume ending with The Steward discovering that someone is messing with his precious humanity, we knew two things were going to happen in Kestus: we’d discover who is messing with The Steward and then he would make it rain on them. This debut issue does the former and then some, as we’re introduced to The Steward’s opposite number, and immortal woman named Kestus.
Phil Hester wrote two of the best issues of the first volume of this series, with the two bookend editions being straight from his mind onto the page, and he continues that hot streak here. In this issue, I love how he expertly weaves the introduction of this great enemy of The Steward into another fold story as well. In the first volume, what The Steward would do is go into certain points in time and ensure that they go the way they should and then fold time to kind of staple it into being. In many ways, Hester has positioned Kestus as a staple remover, and what a provocative one at that.
This new character seems like she isn’t out to ruin humanity, just collect shiny things and get revenge on The Steward for making her feel bad. Based off her last appearance in this issue, it appears that she was destined to chase him down and get that revenge. Yet, with that said it appears that there is an additional narrator observing the both of them, and it’s unsure as to whether or not Kestus really is the aforementioned metaphorical staple remover.
While Hester does a great job with the characters and creating another most excellent fold story (I won’t spoil it, but it is a really fun one), his new collaborator David Marquez also does a very fine job. While the first volume had 4 writers and 4 artists, this one is Hester and Marquez throughout its run. While Marquez is not as exciting of an artist as Frazer Irving was when he illustrated Hester’s work previously, he does a very good job of making Hester’s thoughts come to life. Whether it’s in The Steward’s fortress of solitude or in ancient China, he depicts the action in a way that works from both a storytelling and a simply visually pleasing standpoint. While nothing stands out, it is impossible to deny that his art works.
Overall, this is another exciting start to the series. If you didn’t read the first volume, you’re going to be a little lost, but come on, you really should have read (or read now) the first volume. If not, you’ll be a bit confused but the fold story will still work really well if you pick up on the basics of The Steward. For those that have been reading it, this is like welcoming a good old friend back. Welcome back Steward, we missed you and your creepy, creepy eyes.
Final Verdict: 8.0 – Buy
